As your peak body, Volunteering WA is advocating strongly for a simpler, more consistent national approach to volunteer screening, one that keeps people safe while reducing unnecessary barriers and duplication for volunteers and Volunteer Involving Organisations.
We have been working closely with the Department of Finance to ensure the volunteering sector has a meaningful voice in shaping the future of volunteer screening. This is an important opportunity to make sure any national approach reflects the real experiences and needs of volunteers and the organisations that involve them.
Your voice really matters. Please take a few minutes to complete the volunteer or Volunteer Involving Organisation survey below. The surveys are for everyone who uses volunteer screening checks i.e. NDIS Worker Screening Checks, Working With Children Checks and National Police Clearances. We encourage you to share these survey links with others who may also wish to contribute.
Thank you in advance for helping us strengthen the voice of volunteering and inform this important work.
Background
In September 2025, the Department of Treasury and Department of Finance released a public consultation paper consulting on the feasibility of potential options to implement a national approach to worker screening in the care and support economy (CSE). The reform is aimed to improve labour mobility and efficiency for CSE workers while enhancing quality and safety for CSE recipients.
The Department of Finance’s Care Worker Screening Taskforce was established earlier this year to work with Commonwealth, state and territory governments to explore how a national worker screening system could be operationalised.
While the project is titled the National Approach to Care Worker Screening, it also includes volunteers. To date, the Taskforce has met with peak bodies and stakeholders to better understand the issues, challenges, and opportunities across the aged care, disability, early childhood education and care, and volunteer sectors. We have also undertaken interviews with workers and employers in the aged care, disability, and early childhood sectors.
However, we have had more limited opportunities to engage directly with volunteers and Volunteer Involving Organisations. As volunteers play a vital role in the care and support economy, it is important that we understand your perspectives and experiences. Your feedback will help inform advice and recommendations that may be provided to Government later this year.
